IBTM World 2024
The power of human connection
At international trade fairs such as IBTM World, everything revolves around personal encounters between people from all over the world. Photo: IBTM World
At international trade fairs such as IBTM World, everything revolves around personal encounters between people from all over the world. Photo: IBTM World
In November, IBTM World celebrates its 20th show in Barcelona and personal encounters. Organiser RX Global has chosen the general theme "People. Power. Potential." and British Paralympic athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson as a keynote speaker.
It will be the 20th IBTM World in Barcelona when the trade fair gates of Fira Barcelona open from 19 to 21 November 2024. This will be celebrated. Not only at the welcome party on the first day of the trade fair, but also with pop-up stores from local Barcelona suppliers, an exhibition of Spanish artists and a tapas food truck. The date for IBTM World 2025 in Barcelona from 18 to 20 November 2025 has already been set. Now in its 37th year, IBTM World is the oldest international trade fair for event professionals. Ray Bloom, Chairman of the IMEX Group, launched the (then) EIBTM in Geneva in 1988 and sold the show to RX Global (Reed Exhibitions) in 1996. "It's hard to believe that IBTM World is 37 years old this year and we have been organising it in Barcelona for 20 years. We keep coming back to this wonderful city for so many reasons," says Claudia Hall, Exhibition Director IBTM World, in an interview. She cites the feeling that the city is bursting with creativity and new ideas, the cultural offerings, the food and the landscape, but also the infrastructure such as transport links, accommodation and WiFi access. "Added to this is the city's status as a sustainable tourism destination, which has been awarded biosphere certification in recognition of its efforts to promote and support sustainable tourism - a strong attraction," says Claudia Hall.
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The trade fair boss observes that the event industry is placing more and more emphasis on sustainability, which goes hand in hand with environmentally friendly practices such as waste avoidance, the use of sustainable materials and the use of energy-efficient technologies. Hall: "At RX Global, we take this responsibility very seriously and have committed to halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and being net zero by 2040. To this end, we have established our own Sustainability Council to ensure that we do our best to organise events as sustainably as possible."
Net Zero by 2040
RX Global signed the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge in 2021 and formed a dedicated Sustainability Council. By 2030, RX aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and hit net zero by 2040.
Like the organisers, the city of Barcelona and its exhibition centre are just as serious about sustainability. In June, Fira de Barcelona was awarded ISO 50001 certification for energy efficiency, underlining the city's commitment to climate protection and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This is their second certification from the International Organisation for Standardisation in accordance with ISO 14001 for environmental management in 2021. In order to reduce CO2 emissions, the trade fair only uses electrical energy from renewable sources. This year, visitors to IBTM World will be able to see how Messe Barcelona is growing. In December, the foundation stone was laid for the new Fira de Barcelona hall on Gran Via. The new building is due to be completed by the third quarter of 2026, expanding the Fira de Barcelona's exhibition space from the current 240,000 square metres to 300,000 square metres.
More exhibitors
For IBTM World 2024, 2,500 exhibitors from around 150 countries are expected at Fira Barcelona Gran Via. That is ten per cent more than last year. The signs for this year are positive. October is characterised by strong sales with new exhibitors and existing exhibitors expanding their presence at the trade fair.
From the regions of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, North America, the Caribbean and Europe, debutants include Birmingham and West Midlands from the United Kingdom, China's capital Beijing and Uzbekistan. From the Middle East, the emirate of Ajman, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates, is participating for the first time. Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic are returning after five years. Toronto will have its own stand, Bruges will triple its stand space compared to 2023, and Slovenia, Serbia and Antwerp will increase their stands by more than 20 per cent. Particular growth can be seen in the hotel sector with more than 400 hotels. With 8,000 hotels in its portfolio, Hilton will expand its presence at IBTM World 2024. Spain's two largest hotel chains, Meliá Hotels International and Barceló Hotel Group, will be represented with their own stands. The West African Azalaï Group Hotels will also be represented for the first time with its own stand. BWH Hotels, Ayana Hospitality, an Indonesian luxury chain of hotels and resorts, the Greek hotel chain Civitel Hotels & Resorts, the Italian hotel chain Jada Hotels Collection and OKU Hotels, a group of luxury hotels in the Mediterranean region, are new to the hotel programme. Small hotel groups and independent hotels will present themselves at the new hotel pavilion, such as the Nobu Hotel Shoreditch London and the Japanese luxury hotel Rihga Royal Hotel Osaka, the Swedish Hotel Gothia.
The omens for IBTM World 2024 are good. 2,500 exhibitors are expected. Photo: IBTM World
"We are thrilled to welcome so many new faces to IBTM World this year. This is a real testament to the confidence that exhibitors have in the value of the trade fair for them," explains Exhibition Director Hall, adding: "Our 2024 motto 'People. Power. Potential.' emphasises the belief that people need other people to be successful. Our new exhibitors epitomise this. We can't wait to expand attendees' options with even more dynamic and exciting destinations and hotels." Technology, specifically the RX Lead Manager and Colleqt apps, will support this. Exhibitors and visitors can make contact electronically, collect leads and make data-driven decisions.
About IBTM World
IBTM World, the leading global event for the meetings and events industry, is the must-attend three-day event for the worldwide meeting, incentives, conference and events industry. Thousands of meetings and events buyers, suppliers and international trade media visit Fira Barcelona every November for IBTM’s flagship show. 2024 is the 37th anniversary of IBTM World and the 20th year the event has been hosted in Barcelona. Next event: Tuesday 19 November to Thursday 21 November 2024 at Fira Barcelona
Der German Pavilion
Among the 2,500 exhibitors, 62 will be from Germany and will occupy 468 square metres at the German pavilion. This is a slight increase compared to previous years (2023: 59 exhibitors on 420 square metres, 2022: 49 exhibitors on 360 square metres). The largest exhibitors include Tourismus+Kongress Frankfurt am Main, Hannover Congress Centrum, Nürnberg Messe, KölnTourismus, Düsseldorf Marketing, Messe Bremen and Congress Bremen. This is the 20th time that the German Pavilion in Barcelona has been part of the Foreign Trade Fair Programme (AMP) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. The fact that German exhibitors benefit from the programme is thanks to AUMA - Association of the German Trade Fair Industry as coordinator and the GCB - German Convention Bureau as applicant. "According to the latest IPK study, Germany has once again confirmed its position as the No. 1 global business travel destination. In order to secure this competitive advantage for the future, it is crucial to meet our customers from all over the world face-to-face in direct dialogue," says Matthias Schultze, explaining the importance of the German stand at IBTM World. The GCB Managing Director adds: "Representation at foreign trade fairs such as IBTM World, which are promoted as part of the foreign trade fair programme, is an excellent tool for the GCB and the exhibitors at the German Pavilion. Here we can convince not only current but also potential customers from numerous source markets of the many strengths of Germany as a conference location."
Neu: Exceptional Experiences
The Exceptional Experiences programme is new. It introduces event professionals to strategies for creating experiences that contribute to business development. Launched at a pop-up event at the Cannes Lions 2024 festival, the programme is aimed at corporate event managers. While the workshop on 19 November 2024 is reserved for executives, the Exceptional Experiences Forum on the Main Stage on 20 November 2024 is open to everyone. In the session Cre-AI-tivity as the new events game-changer, Lesly Simmons, Head of Community Innovation at Amazon, and Paula Medeiros, Global Media Project Manager at Palo Alto Networks, will discuss the potential of artificial intelligence in event management. In the talk Building and expanding a world-class event brand - what differentiates good from great?, Jimmy Knowles, Global Head of Experiential at Canva, and Madolyn Grove, Head of Creator Community at TikTok, will be speaking.
„More than anything else, we strive tirelessly to ensure IBTM World provides true value for attendees.“ Claudia Hall, Exhibition Director at IBTM World
"Connections are the beating heart of IBTM World," emphasises Claudia Hall, referring to the 132,000 business contacts at IBTM World 2023. The general theme for 2024 "People. Power. Potential." she describes as a reflection of the importance of encounters. After all, event professionals have one thing in common: the understanding that people need other people in order to be successful.
“People Power Potential” ist Programm
Along the general theme, the conference programme aims to connect attendees with tracks on topics such as experience design. "This year's conference programme is an uplifting and refreshing tribute to people, the power of collaboration and the limitless potential we can achieve when we do," said Hall. Her choice of keynote speakers sets the tone for this year's IBTM World, which will be opened by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson. The British Paralympic athlete has competed in five Paralympic Games and won eleven gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal. The exceptional athlete talks about People Potential: A Conversation with Baroness and Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson, the limitless possibilities that arise when people are empowered, team spirit and inclusion are encouraged. "Tanni is a power woman. She dedicates her life to creating a fairer society. We are delighted to welcome her to the IBTM main stage and are sure that her talk will be just the beginning of a fascinating series of content dealing with social responsibility," says Exhibition Director Claudia Hall, explaining the choice.
IBTM World 2024 sets the theme "People. Power. Potential." This is what the keynote speakers such as Human Connection Specialist Simone Heng stand for.
Photo: Simone Heng
Another example is Simone Heng. The human connection specialist supports organisations such as the United Nations, Harvard University and Google in creating networked workplaces. In her keynote The power of human connection, Heng describes techniques on how participants can build resilient relationships in an increasingly polarised world and why these are essential in the age of artificial intelligence. AI will be a component of this year's conference programme, the Association Leaders' Forum and Exceptional Experiences. Finally, at Cannes Lions, Director Hall discussed with pioneers from the creative and media scene how AI can be used to increase efficiency without losing the authenticity of events. IBTM World itself relies on big data and data analysis to personalise attendees' experiences and improve their engagement at the upcoming IBTM World.